Surface-contact railway.



No. 679,332. Patented July 30, l90l.

W. B. PCTTER.

SURFACE CONTACT RAILWAY,

- (Application filed Jan. 9, 1899.)

' (No Model.)

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WILLIAM B. POTTER, OF SCHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGN OR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK.

S U RFACE-CONTACT RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,332, dated July 30, 1901.

Application filed January 9, 1899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surface-Contact Railways, (Case No. 795,) of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates particularly to surface-contact railways, certain features not being intended to be limited thereto, and has for its object to overcome some difliculties which have attended the introduction of such roads, particularly where they have used large currents. In such cases the ordinary electromagnetic switch has been found to afford insufficient contact-surface. The most successful of these switches have been provided with carbon contacts, which consist of blocks of carbon, so as to eliminate all danger of the switch sticking and leaving a section of the road alive. Unless the contacts be of large area they furnish sufficient con-. ductivity for only a moderate current. It is objectionable to make the switches very large on account of their sluggishness and also because of the bad effects of the hammer-blow occurring on the closing of the switch. I have obviated the difficulty by connecting to one or more of the contact-studs switches in multiple, which thus furnish sufficient current-path without undue heating and which maybe of standard construction, being there fore not of unusual size. It is unnecessary in many cases to provide these for every part of the road. Where the road is of ordinary character, I therefore provide the ordinary single switches for each stud except at those points where large current is takensuch, for instance, as on upgrades or on curves. Wherever these occur or, in fact, wherever any unusual demand for current arises, I introduce switches in multiple.

Many surface-contact systems include fuses, one in the circuit'of each switch. The fuse has not, however, been found a sufficient protection, its variability being the principal objection to it, although there are other objections, such as the difficulty of replacing it. I have therefore found it expedient to avoid Serial No. 701,579- (No model.)

the fuses altogether. Instead of using them I employ a circuit-breaker; but as it is unduly expensive and cumbersome to have a circuit-breaker for each switch I combine the switches in groups situated at convenient points along the line, and in the lead from each group to the feeder I place a circuit-,

breaker common to all of the switches of the group and acting to cut them out if any one of them is overloaded. This is a ready and convenient means of affording proper protection to the switches, inasmuch as each circuit-breaker may be adjusted for the current which the switches in one group may be de signed to carry. For instance, where a large current-supply is required and the switches are connected in multiple the circuit-breaker would be arranged to carrya correspondingly larger current. The circuitbreaker is also convenient in that it may be opened by hand when desired, as at times when repairs are to be made to any of the switches and their circuits are to be opened. This may be effected with far more convenience than with the fuses.

The accompanying drawing shows a diagrammatic representation of a system which embodies my invention. The general features of this system are now well understood, having been described in various patents and publications-such, for instance, as my Patent No. 589,786 and others issued at about the same time.

In the drawing,A A are the track-rails, and B B are the negative or energizing studs in circuit with the coils of the electromagnetic switches G.

0 represents the working studs, which are connected to the feeder by the operation of the switches and from which current is collected for the motor M by means of the shoe F The storage battery SB is grounded at one end on the wheel D of the car, its other end being connected to the shoe F.

H is the feeder, from which leads pass through the circuit-breakers OB to the groups of switches.

I is the generator, one end being connected to ground and the other to the feeder H- H is a return connected to the sectional IOO energizing-conductorB. If one or both trackrail's-be bonded, that construction would be the equivalent of the conductor H.

At G I show two of the switches or carbon blocks connected in multiple, both supplying the motor-contact C, which the shoe F has just quitted, and the contact 0*", upon which the shoe rests. It should be noted that each two adjacent switches G are connected to one contact 0. Of course the group of switches G is taken as typical of any number that may happen to be required in the installation of a cbmplete system.

Ordinarily where the switches in multiple, as shown at G, are used a separate circuitbreaker for these is desirable, because its calibration should be for higher current than where the single switches are employed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric-railway system, the combination with a feeder, of a sectional conductor, a set of switches, for a section of said conductor, which set comprises two or more switches, which are adapted to be operated simultaneously to connect the feeder and said section.

2.In an electric-railway system, the combination with a feeder, of a sectional conductor, a setof switches, for a section of said conductor, which set comprises two or more switches in parallel and adapted to connect the feeder and said section of said conductor, and means whereby the return-circuit simultaneously operates all the switches in said set.

3. In a surfacecontact railway, the combination of a feeder, sectional conductors, and.

groups of electromagnetic switches for connecting the conductors to the feeder in se-- quence, with a circuit-breaker common to all of the switches of a group. a

4. In a surface-contact railway, the combination of a feeder, sectional conductors, and

groups of electromagnetic switches for connecting the conductors to the feeder, some of the switches being connected in multiple to the same motor contact or contacts, with circuit-breakers common to all of the switches of any one group; the circuit-breakers for the switches connected in multiple being calibrated for larger current than those connected to the groups of single switches.

5. In an electric-railway system, the combination with a feeder, of a sectional conductor, a return, a set of switches, which comprises two or more switches in parallel and adapted to connect the feeder and a section of said conductor, and sets of coils, each set comprising coils corresponding to said switches and connected in parallel to the return, for simultaneously actuating all the switches in said set.

6. In an electric-railway system, the combination with a feeder, of a sectional conductor, a set of switches, which comprises two ormore switches which are adapted to be operated simultaneously to connect the feeder and a section of said conductor, and a circuit-breaker connected in series between the feeder and each set of switches.

'7. In an electric-railway system, the combination with a feeder, of a sectional working conductor, a set of switches, which coniprises two or more switches in multiple and adapted to connect the feeder and one section of said conductor, of a return, a sectional energizing-conductor, and a set of coils, which comprises coils corresponding to said switches, and connected in parallel between said return and said section of said energizing-conductor.

8. In an electric-railway system, the combination with a feeder, of a sectional working conductor, a collecting-shoe therefor carried by the car, a set of switches which comprises two or more switches in multiple and adapted to connect the feeder and one section of said working conductor, a sectional energizing-conductor, a shoe therefor carried by the car, a return, and means included between each section of said energizing-conductor and said return for simultaneously operating all the switches in said set.

9. An electromagnetic switch for large currents which comprises electromagnetic actuating ineans and a plurality of independent switch-contacts, each consisting of blocks of fragile material of limited size to prevent sluggishness and the effect of the hammerblow caused by the electromagnetic actuating means, said contacts being connected in parallel to increase the capacity of the switch for the large currents.

10. An electromagnetic switch for large currents, which comprises an electromagnetic actuating means, and a plurality ofindependent fragile carbon blocks of small size, to prevent sluggishness and the effect of the hammerblow caused by the electromagnetic actuating means.

11. A sectional electric railway having at desired parts of the road a plurality of separate switch-contacts consisting of blocks of fragile material and connected in parallel between the feeder and sectional conductor, and electromagnetic means which closes said contacts with considerable force.

12. The improvement on the system of inserting fuses in each of a number of switchcircuits, which comprises a plurality of switches, each having its own connection at one side'of the circuit, and all connected to the other side of the circuit through a circuitbreaker common to all the switches.

13. In an electric-railway system, the combination with the feeder, of working conductor-sections, switch-energizin g conductor-sections, a set of switches connected in parallel and adapted to connect the feeder and one working conductor-section, and coils in parallel in the connection between a switch-energizing conductor-section and the return, for actuating said switches.

14. In an electric-railway system, the com bination with a feeder, of working conductor-sections,switch-energizing conductor-sections, a set of switches connected in parallel between the feeder and a working conductorsection, each of which switches comprises a plurality of carbon contacts in parallel, and coils connected in parallel in the connections between the switch energizing conductorsection and the return, for actuating said switches.

15. An electric switch for large currents which comprises a plurality of separate blocks of fragile material which are subject to severe impact in closing, said contacts being connected in parallel to provide an adequate path for large currents, and each contact being of small size to avoid sluggishness and the effect of the severe impact.

16. An electric switching device for large currents, which comprises a plurality of contacts connected in parallel to provide an adequate path for such currents, an electromag netic means for closing the device at said contacts, the contacts being composed of carbon in order that the device will not be held closed after the electromagnetic means has been de energized, and said contacts being of small size to avoid sluggishness and to prevent them from being broken by the impact in closing caused by said electromagnetic means.

17. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of conductor-sections, a plurality of successive electromagnetic feederswitches, each of which is connected with the two switches on opposite sides of it, and connections to the conductorsections from the connections between the successive switches.

18. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of conductor-sections, ap1urality of successive electromagnetic feederswitches, an electromagnetic circuit-breaker through which a number of said switches are connected with the feeder, each switch being adapted to supply current to a plurality of conductor-sections.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of January, 1899.

WILLIAM B. POTTER.

Witnesses:

B. B. HULL, M. H. EMERSON. 

